Beam hanger



Oct. 25 1927. 1,646,558

, J. P. RATIGAN BEAM HANGER riginal Filed April 1925 Patented Oct. 25 1927.

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BEAM HANGER.

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Original application filed April 13, 1925, Serial No. 22,768. Divided and this application filed December 28, 1926. Serial No. 157,602.

This invention is a division of my application filed April 13, 1925, Serial No. 22,768, patented to me November 23, 1926, No. 1,608,001, and relates. to a portion of the means employed for connecting walking beams or other fulcrumed operating members to the polish rods of deep well pumps and is commonly known as a beam hanger.

A further important object is to minimize side thrust of the polish rod in the stufiing box as the walking beam swings up and down. Ordinarily such side thrust is present to a large extent on the down stroke of the walking beam, as the stufling box tends to hold the polish rod in axial alignment with the stuifing box while the walking beam, swinging in an arc,,t ends to move the upper end of the polish rod out of axial alignment with the stufling box as the walking beam approaches the upper and lower ends of its stroke.

Another object is to provide a construc tion that will accomplish the foregoing objects by holding one section ofthe stem stationary relative to the operating member while said operating member is moving in the upper half of its stroke, and to permit free swinging of said section relative to the operating member while said operating member 1s moving up and down in the lower half of its stroke.

Further objects and advantages will ap pear in the subjoined detailed description.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention: A I

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a beam hanger constructed in accordance with the provisions of this invention. A fragment of the polish rod is shown, together with the polish rod grip and-the cable connecting said grip to the beam hanger. Also fragments of the operating member and its support are shown.

Fig. 2 is a view of the beam hanger corresponding to the showing in Fig. 1, but on a larger scale, a fragment of the operating member being indicated in dotted lines.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of Fig. 2 from the 1 right thereof.

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, from the line indicated by 4- 1, Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a fragmental side elevation of a modified form of the invention, the operating member being indicated in broken lines.

Referring first to the form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, there is provided a sectional stem, an upper section 11 and lower section 12. The upper section 11 may be rigidly secured in any well known manner to the operating member, indicated at a in Fig. 1 as a walking beam, so as to constitutea downwardly projecting arm of said walking beam; or the section 11 may be mounted in such a fashion that it will tend to rock slightly on the walking beam as the walking beam swings up and down. The section 11 extends through the usual slot 6 in the end of the walking beam.

The sections 11, 12 are pivotally connected at 15 so that as the walking beam swings up and down the section 12 will tend to remain in axial alignment with the polish rod, indicated at 0 in Fig. 1. Especially is this true on the downstroke of the pump plunger, since said plunger is automatically lowered-by the weight of the sucker rods and superposed column of liquid, and the walking beam exerts no ressu're on the tion of the section ll, 12 and the section 11 being swingingly suspended from the walking beam. Preferably the head is provided with an eye 16 with which hoisting tackle may be connected when-it is desired to assemble the beam hanger on the walking beam or remove it therefrom.

Any suitable means may be provided operable by relative swinging of the stem sections to effect rotation of the polish rod and such means, in this instance, is constructed as follows: The lower portion 17 of the section 11 preferably constitutes a leg that extends at an angle to the upper portion thereof and overlaps the lower section 12 and is provided at its lower end with a pawl or pawls 18 which are pivoted at 19 to the secpolish rod because of the ointed construction 11. The pawls 18 are adapted to engage teeth 20 formed in the upper face of a rotatably mounted member 21. In the present instance the teeth 20 are in several concentric series, there being a series for each of the pawls, and the teeth of the different series are in staggered relation and the progressive arrangement of the teeth is such that only one of the teeth is engaged by a pawl at one time and the several pawls engage the teeth successively. Thus, if the teeth in each series are spaced, for example, half an inch apart, and there are four series of teeth, approximately one-eighth of an inch peripheral movement of the member 21 will be effected by each of the pawls 18 if the extent of the movement of the pawls is less than one-half inch.

The member 21 is rotatably mounted on the stem section 12 by reason of said section having a nut 22 at its lower end and there being a bearing 23 between said nut and the upper end wall 24 of a recess 25 formed in the member 21, said recess accommodating the nut 22 and bearing 23.

It may be desirable, in some instances, to positively prevent reverse rotation of the member 21, though friction between the plunger and pump barrel and between the liquid and sucker rods is ordinarily sufficient to prevent such reverse rotation, and for this reason a dog or dogs 26 are pivoted at 27 to the lower section 12. WVhen it is desired to throw any one or all of the pawls 18 and the dogs 26 out of engagement with the teeth 20, the said pawls and dogs may be swung upwardly and engaged with racks 28 which, in this instance, are U-s'hape and constructed of wire and have their opposite ends passing through the pivots on the pawls and dogs. The racks 28 project laterally from the pivots 19, 27.

The lower portion of the member 21 is provided with a slot 29 and with. a pin 30 which extends across said slot, the pro ecting ends of said pin being provided with cotter pins 31 to prevent the pin 30 slipping out of the member 21.

It is to be understood that any suitable means may be provided for connecting the member 21 to the cable, indicated at d in Fig. 1 and, in this instance, the means illustrated is not claimed herein, but is the subject matter of my co-pending application for patent filed November 13, 1926, Serial No. 148,161. The cable d which is not a part of the present invention, is connected with the polish rod 0 by any suitable grip c.

It will be noted that the underfaces of the head 13 are convex, and this facilitates rocking of the section 11 on the walking beam. In order to prevent a great degree ofrocking of the member 11 relative to the Walking beam that would prevent such movement of the pawl 18. as is requisite for eifecting roneeasse tation of the polish rod, it is necessary to limit movement of one of the stem sections. In this instance means is provided to limit movement of the member 11 relative to the walking beam. in the direction of the small arrow in Fig. 2, and is constructed as follows: A stop 14 projects from the section 11 and engages the rear wall of the slot 7) of the walking beam. The stop 1 1 is in the form of a pin and is adjustably mounted, being slidably mounted in the hole 33 extending transversely through the section 11. A set screw 34 in the member 11 engages the stop 14 to hold it in the adjusted position.

The invention operates as follows: In this particular instance, the parts are arranged to effect rotation of the polish rod on the downstroke of the walking beam and on the upstroke of the walking beam the polish rod is not rotated. The rotary motion is thus intermittent. Assuming that the parts are in the positions indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the walking beam is at the top of its stroke. As the walking beam swings downwardly, the portion 17 is caused to describe an arc about the fulcrum of the walking beam in a direction opposite to that indicated by the small arrow in Fig. 2 thus moving the pivots 19 of the pawls 18 toward the toothed member 21 so as to lengthen the horizontal distance from the pivots 19 to vertical planes positioned at the free ends of the pawls, causing the plate 21 to rotate to the left in Fig. 2. After the walking beam reaches the lower limit of its stroke, it swings upwardly, thus forcing the pawls in a direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, the teeth 20 being shaped to catch the pawls 18, thereby efiecting rotation of the member 21. It will be seen that com paratively slight relative swinging between the sections 11, 12 will produce intermittent rotary motion of the member 21.

If it be not desired to effect rotation of the polish rod, the pawls 18 will be thrown out of engagement and rested upon the rack 28. When rotation of the polish rod is not efiec'ted, there is still a decided advantage in having the sectional stem with a pivotal connection for, on the downstroke of the walking beam, the stuffing box will tend to hold .the section 12 in axial alignment with said stuffing box and polish rod while the pump plunger is forced downwardly by the weight of the sucker rods and superposed liquids, the section 11 will then simply follow the section 12 without bending the polish rod. The head 13 is rockably mounted on the walking beam, but the rocking movement of the stem section 11 is limited at certain times for, as the walking beam moves on its upstroke from its intermediate position, the stop 14 engages the walking beam and thus causes the lower end of the section 11 to describe an arc with the fulcrum of the walk- Inn ing beam as the generating center of said are. This insures the requisite amount ofrelative motion between the heads 11, 12 to effect actuation of the pawl 18. The wei ht of the sucker rods and liquid in the well eing pumped will tend to swing the member 11 into axial alignmentfwith the polish rod when the walking beam is moving from its mid position to the upper end of its stroke but, because of the stop 14, there will be sufficient relative motion of the sections 11, 12 to effect rotationof the member 21.

If it be desired to effect rotation of the polish rod on the upstroke, the hanger will be taken off of the walking beam, turned through an angle of 180 degrees and then replaced on the walking beam in the new position.

From the foregoing it will be'seen that I have provided a stem having upper and lower sections pivotally connected, that one of said sections isprovided with means to suspend it from an operating member, that there is provided a means operable by movement of the operating member in the upper half of its stroke to effect relative swinging in one direction between the sections, and that I have provided means operable by the relative swinging in said direction to effect rotation of the polish mod. The means illustrated and described for effecting the relative swingingis the stop 14, and said stop entirely prevents relative motion between one of the stem sections and the operating member during a portion of the stroke ofsaid operating member. 1

Within the scope of the invention as defined in the broader claims appended hereto there may be substituted for the stop 14 any other suitable construction for preventing such relative movement between one of the stem sections and the operating'member during a portion of the stroke of said operating member.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 5, the parts are the same as those illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4, excepting that the stop 14 and screw 34 are omitted and in lieu thereof there is a flexible connection 14 secured at one end by a fastening 35 to the operating member and at its other end to the lower stem section 12. In Fig. 5 the parts .that correspond to those described above in connection with Figs. 1 to 4 are indicated by the same reference characters with the addition of the letter a. The lower portion of this modified form is the same as in Figs. 1 to 4 and, accordingly, it is unnecessary to illustrate and describe said portion further than has been done abowe.

I claim: i

1. A beam hanger comprising a stem having upper and lower-sections pivotally connected, one of said sections being provided with means to suspend it from a walking as the walking beam swings within the limits of its normal working stroke.

3. The combination with a fulcrumed operating member, of a stem li'aving upper and lower sections pivotally connected, the

upper section having a head with faces loosely resting on the upper face of the operatingm'ember so as to rock on said member, and means operable by relative swinging of the sections to effect rotation of a polish rod. Y

4. .The combination with a fulcrumed operating member, of a stem having u per and lower sections pivotally connected, 1 e upper section being swingingly suspended from the operating member, and means connected with theoperating member to limit swinging of the lower section away from the operating member.

5. The combination with a fulcrumed'operating member, of a stem having upper and lower sections pivotally connected, the upper section being swingingly suspended from the operating member, means connected with the operating member to limit swinging of the lower section away from the operatingmember, and means operable by relative swinging of the sections to efiect rotation of a polish rod. 6. The combination with; a fulcrumed operating member, of a stem having'upper and lower sections pivotally connected, the upper section being swingingly suspended from the operating member, and 'means connected with the operating member to limit swinging of the lower section in one direction as the operating member swings within the limits of its normal working stroke.

7. The combination with a fulcrumed operating member, of a stem having upper and lower sections pivotall connected, the upper section being swingingly suspended from the operating member, means connected with I the operating member to limit swingingof the lower section in one direction, and means operable by relative swinging of the sections to effect rotation of a polish rod. v

8. A beam hanger-comprising a stem, and a means mounted on the stem .engageable with the walking beam as said beam swings in the upper part of its normal working stroke to limit swinging of said stem toward the beam. I 9. A beam hanger comprising a stem, and an adjustable means mounted on the stem en gageable with the walking beam as said beam swings in the upper part of its normal working stroke to limit swinging of said stem toward the beam.

10. A beam hanger comprising a stem having upper and lower sections pivotally con nected, the upper section provided with means to suspend it from a walking beam,

and a means connecting the lower section with the walking beam to limit movement of 10 said lower section away from the walking beam.

Signed at Los Angeles, Calif., this 20 day of Desi, 1926.

JAMES -19. RATIGAN. 

